The Phoenix and the Salamander
The Phoenix and the Salamander A Little Detour It was just his luck. Not that Prometheus ever professed having a large margin of coincidences guiding and aiding him unexpectedly to get through each day he lives and breathes but sometimes it took a turn for the worst. He had gotten a contract to return a stolen pendant to a client who kept himself anonymous; as usual given his connection to his own Guild being conspicuously off the radar. It was an heirloom and an ancient one at that, spanning to be over 37 generations in their possession. All he was told was that it was a necklace of gold with a tear diamond shaped jewel colored red. Rumored to have been channeling the blood of a Dragon through its Lacrima crystal the Slayer understood the ramifications if someone gotten a hold of it or realized its true worth. He first caught the perp trying to auction it to the underworld in Minstrel. Breaking it up, he was forced to deal with the buyers and their muscle while the thief got away. Following his scent to Mida where he had to fend off Sorcerors aiding his escape, he took flight but found himself intercepting him mid-use of a Teleportation Lacrima. It was then, even as he apprehended him and took possession of the pendant that he realized he was far from home. Not even his ring, fashioned by Victor's company, could send out a signal to where his comrades were. Despite the circumstances he knew that it wasn't uncommon to be gone long from his home so he took the opportunity to survey the surroundings. "The air here smells so alive and fresh," Prometheus commented to himself, inhaling and exhaling as he strode across a paved road. The passerbiers were plentiful but not as much as they'd be within a city. It was only in passing that he heard wind of talks about a group called The Wardens. Stopping by a gentleman he inquired about them, and he was only too happy to educate them. Being protectors of the people foremostly before the Crescent Archipelago's rulers, they were led by an infamous "Demon wearing Human Flesh," known as Markus Hotaru. The man's title intrigued him and he asked about the leader. It was much to his surprise that he discovered that not only was he perhaps the strongest being within the lands and sea here but also that he himself was a user of the Lost Magic of the Slayer Arts. Specifically, he utilized the power to fell the great mystical avian predators, the Phoenixes. He had only found about Phoenixes in the footnotes of his history texts, finding nothing more but myths about them compared to the elusive history texts about Dragons of the Dragon Era. Still, it excited him to find another piece to an unknown puzzle about the meaning and origin of Slayers. Deciding he still had plenty of time to go board a ship back home he walked to where he was instructed the Hotaru Estate was. It was a bit of a jog but he found that it was nice exercise for the morning. Reaching the elaborately designed home of an illustriously spoken man he was all too eager to meet him. Conducting himself properly, he rapped his hand on the premise's front door, hoping that he wasn't being too intrusive. "Oh well, no backing out now," He thought to himself with a sheepish grin. Afew moments after the knocks echoed through the halls of the estate an man wearing a well made suit roughly in his late 40s to early 50s openned the door. "May I help you?" He asked in a well mannered voice but his eyes showed a brutal and powerful fighting spirit. "I trust you are trespassing for a reason young sir?" "Aw shit, they're the withdrawn type," Prometheus realized with a slight widening of the eyes at the mentioning of him 'trespassing.' To be fair he was simply walking up the door and knocking. If he really was trespassing he'd have hopped the gate and rushed at them like a madman. But he raised to act better and wasn't stupid. If the man he was looking for was a part of the renowned Wardens of this Archipelago, it is likely he likes his privacy. The older man in front of him could easily be a relative of his and he wouldn't know it. Mustering up a smile he extended a hand in greetings to the older man, "Hello there. My name is Paul and I was curious if I could speak to a particular resident if he is present and has the time. Is a Markus Hotaru currently living here?" Just then a loud explosion is heard from behind the estate and a man with ghost white hair, covered in tattoos and built like a light tank flies over the house smoke trailing behind him and lands deftly outside the gate. Before long, he leaped back over shouting, "I'm coming Tao!!" then another serious of loud bangs and explosions were heard shaking the estate. "Yes Lord Hotaru is in.....come with me," Says the man leading Prometheus through the estate to the back garden where the young slayer can see the man who flew over the house. The meadow was visible to them as an intense fight continued using some kind of white lightning in tandem with powerful and masterful martial arts techniques. "Lord Hotaru is the man with white hair and sparring with him is the other Lord Hotaru; his doppleganger Lord Tao Hotaru, The match continues evenly Tao showing a more beastial method of combat yet showing a similar nature to Markus' graceful, dynamic and powerful style of combat. Suddenly the two leap back and launch a blast of white lightning from their mouths showing they are both Slayers, the blasts stop between them and negate each other entirely. Prometheus was a bit taken aback when a fight had suddenly sounded the otherwise peaceful estate enclosure. To his eyes they seemed quite accented in their ethnic background with a peaceful road that led up through the estate through a vast forest with a meadow transpiring before his eyes. While going through the house and towards the back he could tell there was a great deal of beautiful architecture and art enamoring the household's interior. Finally exiting out the considerably large estate's house, he witnessed the two fighting, giving him a perfect view of skilled martial artists intermingling with the standard Magic as custom for the modern Mages of this day and age. It wasn't uncommon for martial arts to be imbued with Magic. What wasn't ordinary was the fact they exhaled Magic itself in the form of White Lightning, giving it a brief spark of powerful existence before snapping out when the two spells collided. Like negatives engaging positives they had no place existing in the material world for more than a few instances. Being told that one man was Lord Hotaru he now understood why he needed be told the difference; the apparent Doppelganger looked quite similar to the Master of the House, all with the exception that the prior had a lengthy series of elaborate tattoos on his body. "I didn't know there was more than one Slayer here," Prometheus muttered as he watched with amazement at the display of skill and power with wonder and intrigue. Turning to look at the older man, he inquired with a smile. "Does the Lords always spar this intensely?" "There are 8 Slayers here ranging from Dragon to God Slayers....And yes they do seeing as they're the same person basically....Whats the point of training to fight if you don't train to fight?" Says the man smirking and walking off ringing a bell as he does which causes the two slayers to stop just as they land a brutal punch. Category:Prometheus Category:Markus Hotaru Category:Dragon Slayer Category:Phoenix Slayer Category:Mage Category:The Phoenix Saga Category:Yaminogaijin